Louisville Ballet Photograph Collection, 1979-2005

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Louisville Ballet

Title: Photograph Collection, 1979-2005

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these photographs, contact the Collections Department.

Size of Collection: 5 r. c. boxes and 1 ovsz. box

Location Number: 024PC25

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of photographs kept by the Louisville Ballet. Formats include contact sheets, film negatives, and photographic prints of various sizes. Identified photographers include David Talbott, Wade Bell, Vita Limanovica, and others.

Folders 1-206 contain photographs of performances, organized alphabetically by production name.

Folders 207-224 contain photographs of backstage activities, including auditions, rehearsals, costume making, and audiences.

Folders 225-247 contain headshots and photographs of individuals. Most of the subjects are dancers, but Ballet staff and board members are also represented.

Folders 248-258 contain photographs taken for marketing and promotional purposes.

Folders 259-298 contain photographs of events, fundraisers, staff and company gatherings, and ceremonies. Of note are the Nutcracker Ball and other events related to the Nutcracker and the groundbreaking of the building on Main Street.

Folders 299-316 contain photographs of outreach programs, including lectures and demonstrations for adults and school children, book readings at bookstores, and free performances at local malls, stores, and a Redbirds baseball game.

Folders 317-319 (ovsz.) contain enlarged photographs of performances and rehearsals/dancers backstage, as well as posed studio shots taken for marketing/promotion.

Historical Note

December 1951: The Louisville Ballet was incorporated under the direction of Thomas Jordan, its first artistic director, and later under William Habich, its first executive director. In its first years, the organization was sponsored by the Louisville Dance Council, a nonprofit formed in 1949 under Estelle Volin, a modern dance instructor at the University of Louisville.

March 1952: The Ballet performed its first production. In its early years, the Ballet’s dancers were not part of a permanent company but rather auditioned for specific performances. They had to pay for their own costumes and shoes and rehearse in borrowed spaces. Performances included local dancers and international guest artists.

April 1960: The name was changed to the Louisville Civic Ballet to reflect an intention to highlight local dancers over guest artists. In that year, the first dancers auditioned to join the company rather than auditioning for specific performances.

1963: The Ballet performed the first annual production of The Nutcracker.

1970: The name was changed to Louisville Ballet Company to reflect its growth, international status, and professional standards.

1973: Dancers Richard Munro and Christina Stirling became artistic directors, dancers, teachers, and choreographers for the Ballet.

1975: Alun Jones and Helen Starr joined with Munro and Stirling to found the Academy of the Louisville Ballet. Jones was appointed associate director of the academy and Starr a teacher and guest dancer.

1976: Eight professional dancers were hired, making the Louisville Ballet a professional company.

1978: Munro and Stirling left the Ballet, and Jones and Starr became the Louisville Ballet’s artistic director and principal dancer, respectively.

1978-1981: Mikhail Baryshnikov came to Louisville for the first time in 1978 to dance with Helen Starr. He returned in 1979, and in 1981, he invited the Louisville Ballet to join him on a tour of Houston and Dallas.

1989: Louisville Ballet dancer and choreographer Patricia Olalde died in a plane crash at the age of 22. Olalde choreographed two ballets for the company before her death, which were both performed in 1988: Xenon and The Edge. For the season following her death, the Ballet performed And the Night Brings… which Alun Jones created as a tribute to Olalde.

1993: The company moved from 1300 Bardstown Road to a new home at 315 East Main Street.

1994-1995 season: Louisville native and New York City Ballet dancer Wendy Whelan returned to Louisville to dance with the Ballet.

1995-1996 season: The Ballet had to forgo a live orchestra for many of its performances due to financial constraints. The Louisville Fund for the Arts later provided the funds to bring back the orchestra the following season.

1998: Helen Starr retired as principal dancer after 22 seasons of dancing.

2002: Alun Jones retired as artistic director and was succeeded by Bruce Simpson. Simpon encouraged choreography within the company, as Jones did before him. During Simpson’s tenure, the Choreographers’ Showcase, originated by Jones in 1994, was made a regular part of the Ballet’s season.

2002-2012: For the 50th anniversary season in 2002-2003, Wendy Whelan returned to dance. She returned again in 2006, 2009, and 2012.

2009: The Ballet began its new Nutcracker production, The Brown-Forman Nutcracker. The Brown-Forman Corporation donated $1 million for the production.

Source:

65 Years: Making. Moving. Art. by the Louisville Ballet, 2016.

Related Collections:

David Thurmond Photograph Collection [025PC26]

Louisville Ballet Records [Mss. BB L888j]

Louisville Ballet Posters [024PR3]

Alun Jones and Helen Starr papers [023×5]

Alun Jones and Helen Starr Photograph Collection [023PC24]

Alun Jones and Helen Starr museum objects [2023.5]

Vincent Falardo papers [023×29]

Vincent Falardo Photograph Collection [023PC11]

Vincent Falardo museum objects [2023.18]

Joy Bell Williams papers [023×1]

Joy Bell Williams Photograph Collection [023PC4]

Nina Allen papers [024×35]

Melissa J. “Misty” Lee papers [023×57]

Folder List

Box 1

Performances

Folder 1 Adagietto, Jan. 1982

Folder 2 Alice in Wonderland, April-May 1998

Folder 3 Alice in Wonderland, undated

Folder 4 Allegro Brillante, March 1984 and Oct. 1989

Folder 5 And the Night Brings, Jan. 1990 and Nov. 1991

Folder 6 Anna Karenina, April-May 2004

Folder 7 Appalachian Waltz, 2000

Folder 8 Apollo, Sept. 1994

Folder 9 Apollo, Death and the Maiden, Esplanade, March 1998

Folder 10 Arcadia, Feb.-March 1989

Folder 11 Bachiana, Oct. 1998

Folder 12 George Balanchine choreographed works, Feb. 2004

Folder 13 Beauty and the Beast, Nov. 1982, Feb. 1994, and undated

Folder 14 Billy the Kid, April 1983

Folder 15 Billy the Kid, April 1984

Folder 16 Billy the Kid, Oct. 1988

Folder 17 Billy the Kid, Nov. 1994 and undated

Folder 18 Birds of Paradise, Jan. 1988 and Feb. 1990

Folder 19 Boogie Woogie, March 2005

Folder 20 Butterfly Ball, undated

Folder 21 Cakewalk, April 1981, April 1982, and April 1983

Folder 22 Cakewalk, April 1984 and undated

Folder 23 Cakewalk, Hollywood and Vine, Adagio for Strings, Oct. 1997

Folder 24 Carmina Burana, Oct. 1985

Folder 25 Carmina Burana, Xenon, March 1997

Folder 26 Choreographer’s Showcase, March 2004, Jan. 2005, and undated

Folder 27 Cinderella, Dec. 1982

Folder 28 Cinderella, March 1990

Folder 29 Cinderella, March 1993

Folder 30 Cinderella, 1995, 1998, and undated

Folder 31 Cinderella, March 2002

Folder 32 The Combat, Dec. 1987-Jan. 1988

Folder 33 Con Amore, Oct. 1990

Folder 34 Coppélia, Feb. 1987

Folder 35 Coppélia, Sept. 1996

Folder 36 Coppélia, Oct. 2002

Folder 37 Country Dances, undated

Folder 38 Danses Concertantes, Feb. 1981 and Feb. 1982

Folder 39 Dark Elegies, Oct. 1995

Folder 40 Design with Strings, Nov. 1984

Folder 41 A Day in the Life, 2003

Folder 42 A Difference of Opinion, Jan. 2003

Folder 43 Director’s Choice, April 2003 (pt. 1)

Folder 44 Director’s Choice, April 2003 (pt. 2)

Folder 45 Divina, Jan. 1986

Folder 46 Donizetti Variations, Nov. 1981

Folder 47 Don Juan, Feb. 1990

Folder 48 Don Quixote, Oct. 1989 and Feb. 1992

Folder 49 Don Quixote, Oct. 1993

Folder 50 Don Quixote, May 2002

Folder 51 Don Quixote, undated

Folder 52 Dorian Gray, Jan. 1988

Folder 53 Dracula, Oct. 1996

Folder 54 Echoing of Trumpets, Feb. 1990 and Feb. 1995

Folder 54a The Edge, Oct. 1988 and Nov. 1990

Folder 55 Emotion in Motion, Nov. 2004

Folder 56 The Envelope, Nov. 1997

Folder 57 The Fairy’s Kiss, Feb. 1982 and Feb. 1984

Folder 58 The Fairy’s Kiss, Danses Concertantes, Viva Vivaldi, Nov. 1992

Folder 59 Fandango, April 1980, April 1981, and Jan. 1982

Folder 60 Fiftieth Anniversary, March 2003

Folder 61 Filling Station, April 1987

Folder 62 Filling Station, Nov. 1991

Folder 63 The Firebird, Feb.-March 1982

Folder 64 The Firebird, Oct. 1983

Folder 65 The Firebird, Feb. 1996

Box 2

Performances (cont.)

Folder 66 Forgotten Memories, Jan. 1991

Folder 67 Forgotten Memories, Beauty and the Beast, Psalms, Feb. 1994

Folder 68 For Roberta, Nov. 1982, Nov. 1989, and undated

Folder 69 Freeform, 1999

Folder 70 Frescoes, Feb. 1988

Folder 71 Frescoes, Jan. 1991

Folder 72 Gaîté Parisienne, Oct. 1982 and undated

Folder 73 Gaîté Parisienne, April 1984

Folder 74 Gaîté Parisienne, Peter and the Wolf, Billy the Kid, Nov 1994

Folder 75 Gala Performance, Oct. 1995 (also some labeled “date unknown, NOT Louisville Ballet”)

Folder 76 Giselle, April 1979

Folder 77 Giselle, Jan. 1993 and undated

Folder 78 Gloria, Feb. 1999

Folder 79 The Grand Tour, Nov. 1990

Folder 80 The Grand Tour, Feb. 1996 and Feb. 1997

Folder 81 The Grand Tour, undated

Folder 82 The Green Table, Jan. 1986

Folder 83 Hollywood and Vine, Oct. 1997

Folder 84 The Ice Maiden, undated

Folder 85 Invocation, Nov. 1981

Folder 86 Journeys to Babylon, April 1986

Folder 87 Journeys to Babylon, Jan. 1995

Folder 88 Judgement of Paris, Oct. 1995

Folder 89 The Judy Dances, Jan. 1986

Folder 90 Konigsmark, Oct. 1982 and undated

Folder 91 Konservatoriet, April 1982 and undated

Folder 92 The Lady of Camellias, Nov. 1981 and Oct. 1983

Folder 93 The Lady of Camellias, Nov. 1989 and undated

Folder 94 La Fête Étrange, April 1982

Folder 95 The Lark Ascending, Feb. 1984, March 1987, and undated

Folder 96 La Sonnambula, April 1987 and Oct. 1990

Folder 97 La Sylphide, Feb. 1983 and Feb. 1986

Folder 98 La Sylphide, Sept. 2003

Folder 99 Lee Maiden, 1992

Folder 100 Les Illuminations, Jan. 1989

Folder 101 Les Illuminations, Serenade, A Men’s Concerto, Feb. 1993

Folder 102 Les Patinuers, Feb. 1995

Folder 103 Liebestraume, 1987

Folder 104 Lilac Garden, March 2002

Folder 105 Little Improvisations, Oct. 1995

Folder 106 Little Mermaid, Oct. 1998

Folder 107 Lucy, undated

Folder 108 Madame Butterfly, Nov. 1989

Folder 109 Mars vs. Venus, March 2004

Folder 110 A Men’s Concerto, Jan. 1990 and 1993

Folder 111 The Merry Widow, Sept. 1992 and undated

Folder 112 The Merry Widow, March 1994

Folder 113 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oct. 1988

Folder 114 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Feb. 1992

Folder 115 The Moor’s Pavane, March 1988 and Jan. 1990

Folder 116 Napoli, Feb. 1990

Folder 117 Natives of Dreamland, Nov. 1988

Folder 118 Nutcracker, 1984

Folder 119 Nutcracker, 1991

Folder 120 Nutcracker, 1992

Folder 121 Nutcracker, 1993

Folder 122 Nutcracker, 1995

Folder 123 Nutcracker, 1996

Folder 124 Nutcracker, 2001

Folder 125 Nutcracker, 2002

Folder 126 Nutcracker, 2003

Folder 127 Nutcracker, 2004

Folder 128 Nutcracker, undated (pt. 1)

Folder 129 Nutcracker, undated (pt. 2)

Folder 130 Odalisque, Oct. 1984

Folder 131 Othello, Feb. 1981

Folder 132 Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Soft Stillness and the Night (Shakespeare Festival), Feb. 1998

Folder 133 Our Evenings and Our Goodnights, Feb. 1997

Box 3

Performances (cont.)

Folder 134 Paquita, Feb. 1984

Folder 135 Paradise Gained, Nov. 1987

Folder 136 Paradise Gained, Nov. 1993

Folder 137 Peter and the Wolf, Billy the Kid, Gaîté Parisienne, Shades of Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue, Nov. 1994

Folder 138 Peter Pan, Feb. 2000

Folder 139 Psalms, Oct. 1991

Folder 140 Psalms, Feb. 1994

Folder 141 Ramonda Variations, Nov. 1983, March 1986, March 1992, Sept. 1994, and undated

Folder 142 Rhapsody in Blue, Jan. 1995

Folder 143 Romeo and Juliet, April 1985

Folder 144 Romeo and Juliet, Oct. 1991

Folder 145 Romeo and Juliet, Jan. 1996

Folder 146 Romeo and Juliet, Oct. 2002 and undated

Folder 147 Scheherazade, Oct. 1989 and Oct. 2004

Folder 148 The Seasons, April. 1987

Folder 149 Serenade, Les Illuminations, A Men’s Concerto, Feb. 1993

Folder 150 Serenade, Oct. 1985

Folder 151 Serenade, Jan. 1989

Folder 152 Shades of Gershwin, Jan. 1995

Folder 153 Shades of Gershwin, Grand Tour, Serenade, Our Evenings and Our Goodnights, Feb. 1997

Folder 154 The Shakers, 1979, 1988, and undated

Folder 155 The Shakers (including cast photos), undated

Folder 156 Shima, Nov. 1980

Folder 157 Sleeping Beauty, Oct. 1987

Folder 158 Sleeping Beauty, April 1992

Folder 159 Sleeping Beauty, April 1997

Folder 160 Sleeping Beauty, Sept. 2001

Folder 161 Sleeping Beauty, undated

Folder 162 Sleep Study, Nov. 1997

Folder 163 Square Dance, April 1983

Folder 164 Square Dance, Jan. 1989

Folder 165 The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Psalms, Forgotten Memories, Feb. 1988 and 1994

Folder 166 Summer Intensity, July 2004

Folder 167 Sunflowers, Jan. 1987

Folder 168 Swan Lake, Oct. 1983

Folder 169 Swan Lake, March 1989

Folder 170 Swan Lake, March 1991

Folder 171 Swan Lake, March 1996

Folder 171a Swan Lake, Nov. 2000 and May 2005

Folder 172 Symphonic Variations, Nov. 1980

Folder 173 Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear, Jan. 1986

Folder 174 Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear, Envelope, Sleep Study, Nov. 1997

Folder 175 The Rebels, Oct. 2003

Folder 176 A Time to Remember, May 1995

Folder 177 Tribute to George Balanchine, 1984

Folder 178 The Trojan Women, April 1981

Folder 179 The Trojan Women, Feb. 1985

Folder 180 The Trojan Women, March 1992

Folder 181 The Trojan Woman, undated

Folder 182 Troy Game, 2004

Folder 183 Tunes, Odalisque, Courtly Dances, April 1986

Folder 184 Une Fantaisie d’Une Femme, Nov. 1982

Folder 185 Valse Fantaisie, March 1988

Folder 186 Variations for Piano and Orchestra, Nov. 1984, March 2002, and undated

Folder 187 Variations Sérieuses, Jan. 1987 and Nov. 1989

Folder 188 Veneziana, Feb. 1995

Folder 189 Violin Concerto, Oct. 1982, March 1987, and Sept. 1994

Folder 190 Vocabularies, Nov. 1982

Folder 191 Wingborne, 1980 and 1981

Folder 192 Wingborne, West Side Story, Konservatoriet, Lark Ascending, Jan. 1994

Folder 193 Xenon, Feb. 1988 and March 1997

Folder 194 Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet, Feb. 1992

Folder 195 Louisville Ballet School performance, Spring 2003

Includes photographs by Vita Limanovica.

Folder 196 Miscellaneous and unidentified performances, undated

Box 4

Performances (cont.)

Folder 197 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 1: Season Opener, Sept.-Oct. 1999 (removed from binder)

Folder 198 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 2: Freeform, Sept. 1999 (removed from binder)

Folder 199 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 3, Dracula, Nov. 1999 (removed from binder)

Folder 200 1999-2000 season, film negatives /contact sheets, pt. 4, misc., Feb.-March 2000 (removed from binder)

Folder 201 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 5, Peter Pan, March 2000 (removed from binder)

Folder 202 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 6, Giselle, April 2000 (removed from binder)

Folder 203 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 7, Freeform, Sept. 2000 (removed from binder)

Folder 204 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 8, Season Opener, Sept. 2000 (removed from binder)

Folder 205 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 9, Swan Lake, Nov. 2000 (removed from binder)

Folder 206 1999-2000 season, film negatives/contact sheets, pt. 10, misc., 2001, undated (removed from binder)

Backstage

Folder 207 Studio, rehearsals, and company candids, ca. 1970s-1980s

Folder 208 Studio and rehearsals, 1991-2003

Folder 209 Studio and rehearsals, ca. 2000s

Folder 210 Studio and rehearsals 2002-2003

Includes photographs by Wade Bell and Vita Limanovica.

Folder 211 Studio and rehearsals, possibly for Nutcracker, 1995

Folder 212 Studio and rehearsals, undated

Includes photographs of Alun Jones.

Folder 213 Studio and rehearsals, undated

Folder 214 Backstage Nutcracker, 1993

Folder 215 Backstage Nutcracker for 2001-2002 promo brochures, 2000

Folder 216 Helen Starr and Frank Augustyn rehearsals, undated

Folder 217 Nutcracker children’s auditions, 5 Oct. 1996

Folder 218 Nutcracker cast in costume backstage, 1987

Folder 219 Don Quixote backstage and audience, 2 Oct. 1993

Folder 220 Children’s rehearsals, undated

Folder 221 Audiences/lobby, undated

Folder 222 Scene shop grand opening 1988, costume master Teresa Major Greer, and costume shop, undated

Folder 223 Board room painting July 1993 and misc. office photos, undated

Folder 224 “Jose the burro” donkey, 28 July 1993

Headshots and Individuals

Folder 225 Company headshots and posed photos, ca. 1970s-1980s

Folder 226 Company headshots, ca. 2000s

Folder 227 Staff/other headshots, undated

Folder 228 Board of Directors headshots, ca. 1990s

Folder 229 Akira Endo, undated